Type-writing machine



No. 6|4,974-. Patented Nov. 29, I898.

J. F. J. UTTERSON. I

TYPE WRlTlNG MACHINE.

(Application filed May 81, 1898.)

(No Model.)

' WEEEEE,

UNITED STATES PATENT OEEicE.

JAMES F. J. OTTERSON, OF MARLBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE SMITH PREMIER TYPEVVRITER COMPANY, OF SYRACUSE, NEIV YORK.

TYPE-WRITING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,974, dated November 29, 1898.

Application filed May 31, 1898. Serial No. 682,131. (No model.)

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES F. J. OTTERSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Marlborough, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Type-\Vriting Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has for its main objects to provide simple and effective means for re moving the platen-detent from the line-spacing ratchet-wheel, so that the platen may be rotated variable distances forirregular spac ing, as where the writing is to be done on ruled paper or on blank forms, and for simultaneously applying a friction or pressure upon the platen, so that the platen will be held firmly in its adjusted position while the writ in g is being done with the detent and ratchetwheel out of engagement.

To these ends my invention consists in the various features of construction and combinations of devices, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described,and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a plan view of the main carriage and platencarrier of a Smith Premier type-writing machine, showing my invention as embodied therein. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section taken at the line x 00 of Fig. 1 and looking in the direction of the arrow thereat and showing the parts in normal condition in full lines and in abnormal condition in dotted lines. Fig. at is a section somewhat similar to Fig. 3, but showing the detent as out of operative condition and the brake-shoe as in frictional contact with the platen. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the brake-shoe inverted; and Fig. 6 is a similar view of the detent, its arm or lever, and its pivot or stud.

In the various views the same part will be found designated by the same numeral of ref erence.

l designates the main carriage in suitable bearings 53, in which, at the right-hand end, is mounted a horizontal rock-shaft or line spacing lever 3, carrying at its rear end in the usual manner a spring-pressed pawl 4, adapted to cooperate with the side or crown Fig. 2 is an end elevation thereof.-

teeth 5 of a ratchet-wheel 6, secured to the right-hand end of a platen 7, the platen attached by screws 8 to a shaft or axle 9,adapted to turn in bearings 10 in the main carriage and also adapted to slide up and down on in clined ways 11 in said main carriage when it may be desired to inspect the work on the under side of the platen, the turning up and down of the platen for this purpose being controlled by pivoted links 12, whose hookshaped ends embrace pins or studs 13 13 on the endbars of the platen-frame in the usual manner. Each end of the platen-shaft 9 is preferably provided with a hand-Wheel or knob 14, by which the platen may be turned in either direction. The platen frame or carrier comprises a front bar 15, a back bar 16, and end bars 17 and 18. The platen-shaft preferably passes entirely through the platen and through hubs or eyes 19 in the end bars of the platen-frame.

Preferably at the inner end of the stud 13 on the right-hand end bar 18 of the platenframe is pivotally mounted an arm or lever 20, which carries at its lower forward end a detent 21, preferably made in the form of a freely-revoluble roll adapted to the peripheral ratchet-teeth 22 of the line-spacing ratchetwheel 6, the said arm or lever being bifurcated or forked for the reception of the said detent-roller and a pin or pivot 23 being provided to support said roller and permit it to turn when the line-spacing lever is actuated and the ratchet-wheel is rotated. The upper or rear end of the arm or lever 20 is wedgeshaped or formed or provided with two inclined faces 24 and 25, which are adapted to cooperate with a catch-piece 26, having, preferably, two inclined faces 27 and 28. The wedge-shaped catch-piece 26 is preferably formed integral with a bar or plate-spring 29, secured by a screw 30 to the end bar 18 of the platen-carrier, and is preferably provided with a forwardly-projecting finger-piece 31 for conveniently manipulating the said spring, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Attached to the arm or lever 20 in rear of its pivot 13 and by a pivot-screw 32 is a curved friction brake or shoe 33, preferably provided with a soft-rubber or other yielding facing 34, adapted to partially embrace and bear upon the rubber cover or sheath 35 of the platen. It will be seen that the arm or lever 20 is pivoted between its ends and that the detent is attached thereto On one side of the pivot and that the brake-shoe is attached thereto at the other side of said pivot, so that when said arm or lever is vibrated the detent and the brakeshoe move in opposite directions, and it will also be seen that by means of the inclines on the lever and on the spring the one spring is adapted to hold the lever in either of its two positions Normally or for regular work the detent is in its depressed position and in engagement with the peripheral teeth 22 of the ratchetwheel, as shown by the full lines in Figs. 2 and 3, and the said detent when in this position is held spring-pressed against said ratchet-wheel by the force of the spring 29, and it will be seen by reference to Fig. 3 that at the same time the brake-shoe is held suspended above the surface of the platen and performs no work. Yhile the parts are in this condition, the platen may be turned only regular spaces equal to the distance between the tooth-spaces of the ratchet-wheel both when the handwheels 1-l are operated to turn the platen and when the line-spacing lever 3 is actuated to turn the platen. When the line-spacing lever is operated, the pawl at engages with the crown ratchet-teeth 5 in the usual manner and turns the ratchet-wheel forwardly either one, two,or three spaces, according to the position of the usually-employed line-space regulator, (not shown but when the hand-wheels are turned either forward or backward the platen may be turned step by step tooth-space distances to any desired extent, the detent bobbing up and down over the tops of the ratchet-teeth 22. hen, however, it may be desired to turn the platen irregular distances, as when writing upon ruled paper or upon printed forms having blank spaces to be filled in, the detent is adapted to be disengaged from the ratchet-wheel and the brake-shoe to be simultaneously applied to the platen. This is conveniently accomplished either by pressing down upon the upper rear end of the lever 20 against the force of the spring 29 and cansing the inclined face 25 to wedge the spring upwardly and backwardly past the point of the wedge-shaped catch or piece 26, or it may be done by lifting the spring by means of the finger-piece 31 and then swinging the rear arm of the lever downwardly past the catch 26 to the dotted-line position shown at Fig. 3 and to the full-line position shown at Fig. at, thereby bringing the inclined faces 24 and 27 into operative relation, and when these faces have been brought together, as shown, the tension or pressure of said spring 29 serves to hold the detent 21 up or away from and out of engagement with the ratchet-wheel. From what has already been said and from the drawings it will be understood that when the detent is disengaged from its ratchetwheel by vibrating the lever 20 in the manner just explained the brake-shoe 33 is by the same act or operation carried down toward and against the surface of the platen, and when the inclined faces 24: and 27 have come into engagement, as shown and described, the pressure of the spring 29 not only acts to hold the detent out of engagement with the ratchet-wheel, but also to press the brake-shoe down firmly into frictional engagement with the platen, and when the parts are in this condition the platen may be rotated by means of the hand-wheels 1a or by application of the hand directly to the platen through any desired are or distance, and hence any portion of the paper--as, for instance, a ruled line or a blank spacemay be brought into register with the printingpoint of the machine and the writing may be proceeded with without danger of the platen turning accidentally during the course of the writing, since the friction of the brake-shoe is amplysufficient to hold the platen as firmly in any position to which it may be turned or adjusted as when the detent is in engagement with the ratchet-wheel. Vhen it may no longer be desired to variably space or turn the platen, the mechanism may be readily restored to its normal condition by simply pressing down upon the detent end of the lever 20, whereupon the detent is caused to snap into engagement with its ratchet-wheel, and simultaneously the brake-shoe is lifted from engagement with the platen, the beveled face 2% on the lever being adapted to act on the beveled or inclined face 27 of the spring to lift or wedge it upwardly and c11- able the rear or upper end of the lever to pass by the point of the V-shaped springactuated catch or block 26, so as to enable the spring to act against the face 25 or end of the said lever to keep the detent down in proper engagement with the ratchet-wheel and at the same time to maintain the friction shoe or brake out of engagement with the platen.

Of course the detent may be restored into engagement with its ratchet-wheel by first lifting the spring away from the lever and then swinging the latter in the proper direction to cause such engagement of the detent. Preferably when the detent is in engagement with the ratchet-wheel the point of the catch 26 bears against the rear end of the lever, as shown; but, if desired, the face 28 of the catch may be so shaped as to come parallel with the face or end 25 of the lever and press against the same.

Various other changes in detail construction and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the gist of my invention.

hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen having a line-space ratchetwheel a lever carrying a detent for said wheel and also carrying a brake-shoe for the platen, said lever being adapted to be vibrated to either of two positions, one to bring the detent into engagement with the ratchetwheel and the other to bring the brake-shoe into engagement with the platen, and means for holding the lever in either of its two positions and causing either the detent to press against its ratchet-wheel or the brake or shoe to press against the platen, according to the adjustment of the lever.

2. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever carrying a detent and a brake-shoe, and a spring adapted to act on said lever to cause pressure between the detent and the ratchetwheel and pressure between the brake-shoe and the platen, according to the adjustment of the lever.

3. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever pivoted between its ends, a detent on said lever on one side of said pivot and a brake-shoe on said lever on the other side of said pivot whereby the oscillation of said lever simultaneously effects an engagement of one device with its cooperative member and a disengagement of the other device with its cooperative member.

4. In a type-writin g machine, the co mbin ation of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever pivoted between its ends, a detent on said lever on one side of its pivot, and a brake-shoe on said lever on the opposite side of its pivot, and a spring acting on said lever.

5. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever pivoted between its ends, a detent on said lever on one side of its pivot and a brakeshoe on said lever on the opposite side of its pivot, and a spring-catch adapted to engage said lever and hold it in either of its two adj usted positions.

6. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever pivoted between its ends, a detent at one end of said lever, a brake or shoe at the opposite side of said lever, and a spring-arm provided with a catch adapted to engage opposite faces of said lever and hold it in either of its two adjusted positions.

7. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever having two relatively-inclined faces and carrying a detent and a brake-shoe, and a spring actuated catch adapted to engage either of said inclined faces.

8. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever having two relatively-inclined faces and carrying a detent and a brake-shoe, and a spring-arm provided with a V-shaped catch adapted to the inclined faces of said lever.

9. In a type-writing machine, the combination of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever having two relatively-inclined faces and carrying a detent and a brake-shoe, a springarm having a V-shaped catch, adapted to the inclined faces of said lever, and a finger-piece.

10.. In a type-writing machine,the combination of a platen, a line-space ratohetwheel, a lever pivoted between its ends and carrying on one end a detent and on the other end a pivoted brake-shoe and having two relativelyinclined faces, and a spring-actuated catch adapted to said faces on the lever.

11. In a type-writing machine,the combination of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever pivotally mounted on one of the side bars of the platen-frame,a detent and a brake shoe carried by said lever, and a spring catch for coacting with said lever.

12. In a type-writing machine,the combination of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever pivoted between its ends on one of the side bars of the platen-frame and carrying on opposite arms a detent and a pivoted brakeshoe, and a spring-actuated catch adapted to act on two difierent faces or sides of said lever to hold it in either of its two adjusted positions.

13. In a type-writing machine,the combination of a platen, a line-space ratchet-wheel, a lever pivoted between its ends on one of the end bars of the platen-frame and carrying on opposite arms on said lever a detent and a brake-shoe, and spring-actuated means for holding said lever in either of two positions and causing either the detent to engage with the ratchet-wheel or the brake-shoe to engage with the platen.

Signed at Marlborough, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, this 27th day of May, A. D. 1898.

JAMES F. J. OTTERSON.

Witnesses:

EFFIE G. RICE, JOHN O. MURPHY.

ICO 

